Removable operating lever for electric can opener



Neil.- 10, 1970 J. E. BR lAR EIAL 3,538,787

REMOVABLE OPERATING LEVER FOR ELECTRIC CAN OPENER Filed May 21, 1969 Fig.3.

Jack E. Brier- Alvin E. Conner INVENTORS.

ATTORNEYS.

United States Patent 3,538,787 REMOVABLE OPERATING LEVER FOR ELECTRIC CAN OPENER Jack E. Briar, Shawnee Mission, Kans., and Alvin E. Conner, Raytown, Mo., assignors to Dazey Products Company, Kansas City, Mo., a corporation of Missouri Filed May 21, 1969, Ser. No. 826,447 Int. Cl. Gg 1/04 US. Cl. 74-523 9 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Most conventional electric can openers have a driven feed wheel which is engageable with the lower edge of the bead of a can for rotating the can so as to permit a cutter element, usually a disc, to penetrate the lid of the can during rotation thereof. These cooperating parts often become coated with liquids and other material from products in the cans being opened. Further, dirt and other foreign matter from the exterior of the can is often picked up and retained by the cutter element and its associated parts. It is, therefore, desirable to maintain these parts of the can opener in as sanitary condition as possible through frequent cleanings.

However, conventional electric can openers having an operating lever impede the cleaning process since the lever is not easily removable from the opener, making it difiicult to reach certain regions of these parts for cleaning.

It is, therefore, an important object of the present invention to provide an operating lever for electric can openers which is easily removable from and replaceable upon the opener, whereby to provide ready access to parts in need of cleaning or repair.

Another important object of the invention is the provi- I sion of a removable operating lever having a specially formed slot and notch therein which are cooperable with a pin and a peg respectively on the opener for locating the lever in the proper location for operation every time the lever is replaced on the opener.

A further important object of the instant invention is to provide means on the pin and the peg to aid in retaining the lever with respect to the opener so that the lever may not be easily jarred loose from its placement on the opener.

Yet another important object of the invention is the provision of a removable operating lever having features which in no way interefere with or complicate the operation of the opener 'but yet which permit quick and easy removal and replacement of the lever.

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of the removable operating lever, the can opener being fragmentarily shown;

FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIG. 1, parts of the opener being broken away for clarity;

FIG. 3 is an exploded, front elevational view of the operating lever and opener of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary, cross-sectional view taken along line 4-4 of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary, cross-sectional view taken along line 5-5 of FIG. 1.

The body or frame 10 of a typical electrically pow- 3,538,787 Patented Nov. 10, 1970 ered can opener includes a housing or casing 12 having a front panel 14 as shown in FIG. 1. A suitable electric motor (not shown) housed within frame 10* may be energized by means exteriorly thereof.

An elongated member 16 is attached to frame 10 and extends outwardly therefrom, projecting through front panel 14 and providing a support for an operating lever 18. Lever 18 has a slot 20 formed therein for removably receiving the member 16, whereby lever 18 is pivotal about member 16 between an inoperative and an operative position.

Lever 18 includes a gripping portion 22 at one end thereof comprising an elongated plate 24 which is normally disposed in spaced, parallel relationship with panel 14, and a top piece 26, as best shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, which is an extension of plate 22 and normally overlies the top of the opener. Lever 18 further includes a flat section 28 at its other end in which the slot 20 is formed.

Slot 20 is generally L-shaped whereby to present a pair of intersecting legs 30 and 32, leg 30 having an open end 34 permitting entrance of the member 16 into slot 20, the leg 32 having a closed end 36 adjacent which the member 16 normally rides.

The member 16 is in the form of a pin 38 having shoulder means 40 thereon for engaging section 28 of the lever 18 and retaining lever 18 against movement along pin 38 when the latter is disposed within leg 32 of slot 20. Shoulder means 40 include a pair of spaced collars 42 and 44 disposed intermediate the ends of pin 38 for receiving section 28 therebetween. Collar 42 engages panel 14 and thereby prevents inward longitudinal movement of pin 38.

In order to function properly, the lever 18 must be correctly located in relation to the frame 10. Means for insuring that this relationship is maintained include a peg 46 attached to frame 10' and projecting outwardly therefrom and an arcuate notch 48 formed in plate 24 of the lever 18 for receiving the peg 46. Further, peg 46- has a flat head 50 on its outer end which is larger in diameter than the width of notch 48 and which bears against that portion of plate 24 adjacent notch 48 to aid in retaining the lever 18 with respect to frame 10.

Lever 18 is further located in its operative position as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 by a lowermost edge 52 of leg 32 which is formed in the nature of an inclined plane whereby to present a bearing surface for pin 38 and facilitate the easy entry of the pin 38 into leg 32.

Other parts commonly found on a typical electric powered can opener of the type shown in the drawing include a feed wheel 54 which is drivingly connected to the motor inside the opener, and a cutting disc 56 which is attached to section 28 of lever 18 and is disposed in overlying relation to the wheel 54. A can rest 58 is attached to front panel 14, and a projection 60 extends outwardly from panel 14 and is disposed intermediate the ends of lever 18 in its path of pivotal movement.

The pin 38 is normally atttched to the frame 10 through an opening 62 whereby it may be vertically shifted, there being means attached to pin 38 for energizing the motor of the can opener in response to said shifting. Pin 38 is normally only shifted after a can has been positioned for opening, at which time the lever 18 is depressed through handle portion 22 to a position lower than that shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 with the projection 60 operating as a fulcrum point. The edge 52 of slot 20 bears against pin 38 and shifts it upwardly to energize the motor.

The above described construction allows the lever 18 to be easily removed for cleaning parts of the opener, particularly since there are no bolts or screws to manipulate prior to removal. For removal, the handle portion 22 should be raised until peg 46 clears the notch 48, at which time lever 18 may be moved to the right viewing FIGS.

1 and 2., permitting the pin 38 to move out of leg 32 and leg 30. After cleaning, replacement of lever 18 is a simple reversal of the above process with the locating means insuring that lever 18 is always properly positioned for functioning.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. In an electrically powered can opener having a frame:

an elongated member attached to said frame and extending outwardly therefrom; and

an operating lever having a slot formed therein for removably receiving said member,

said lever being pivotal about said member between an inoperative and an operative position.

2. The invention of claim 1,

said slot being generally L-shaped whereby to present a pair of intersecting legs,

one of said legs having an open end to permit entrance of said member into the slot,

the other of said legs having a closed end.

3. The invention of claim 1,

said member being a pin,

said pin having shoulder means thereon for retaining the lever against movement along the pin when the latter is in said slot.

4. The invention of claim 3, said shoulder means including a pair of spaced collars disposed intermediate the ends of said pin for receiving the lever therebetween.

5. The invention of claim 1, there being means for locating the member within said slot whereby to insure that the lever is properly located for functioning in said operative position.

6. The invention of claim 5, said locating means including a peg affixed to and extending outwardly from said frame, and an arcuate notch formed in said lever for receiving said peg.

7. The invention of claim 6, said peg having a head at its outer end for bearing against the lever whereby to aid in retaining the lever with respect to the frame.

8. The invention of claim 2, there being means for locating the member within said other leg of said slot adjacent said closed end whereby to insure that the lever is properly located for functioning in said operative position,

said other leg having a lowermost edge forming an inclined plane,

said locating means including said edge.

9. The invention of claim 2,

said member including a pin,

said pin having shoulder means thereon for retaining the lever against movement along the pin when the latter is in said slot.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1/1969 Frost et al. 4 2/1970 McLean et al. 304

US. 01. X.R. 

